(a). Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus and methods for forming or cutting dough shells or dough sections, such as for example pizza pie shells, from a sheeted web of dough. This invention has application to the fields of dough handling machines and apparatus and apparatus and devices for forming dough products. One particular field of use is in proofing apparatus for dough products. Other related fields include dough reclaiming apparatus with particular emphasis on apparatus and methods for reclaiming and using dough scraps or trimmings.
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for forming dough shells, for example pizza shells, on a continuous basis, wherein a sheeted dough is transported through a proofing stage and the proofed dough web is sheeted to a predetermined thickness and width whereupon the dough shells are cut from or formed in the dough web and the formed dough shells are separated from the balance of the dough web trimmings. The dough shells are transported to a resting stage while the trimmings are processed and blended back into the raw dough utilized for the sheeted dough web thereby reducing the loss of dough while producing dough shells on a continuously moving conveyor line.
Also inventions are disclosed covering other subject matters such as the combination of a proofing, forming and resting apparatus and apparatus for transferring dough shells from an endless belt conveyor to a conveyor comprised of pivotly mounted tray pans.
(B). Description of the Prior Art
It is known in the prior art to use dough forming apparatus for forming dough products from a sheet or web of dough. One known type of apparatus described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,954,693 utilizes a feed hopper having an extrusion slot or nozzle to form a sheet of dough, which sheet is deposited onto a bake pan unit. The bake pan unit, which comprises a set of four flat round pans having knife-like peripheral edges, are transported, together with the sheeted dough, by an endless belt conveyor formed of the bake pan unit into releasable pressure contact with a pivotly mounted roller. The roller cooperates with the knife-like edges to cut the dough. The excess dough, the trimmings, are conveyed back to a hopper where it is collected and returned to the feed hopper.
Another known dough forming apparatus for dividing a sheet or web of dough into dough sections, and disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,945,755, utilizes a plurality of rollers to form a body of dough into a sheet, which sheet is deposited on a moving endless belt conveyor. The dough sheet is successively punctured, after sheeting, to evacuate air therefrom. The dough sheet is then divided into dough sections by means of a rotary cutter which releaseability maintains the dough scraps between the cutting edges. Spring-pressed ejectors automatically strip the scraps from the cutters as the divided dough sheet leaves the cutter.
Another portion of the prior art, which is applicable to the proofing aspect of the present invention, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,938,294. This patent broadly teaches use of a continuous tray conveyor wherein molded loaves of dough positioned on the tray, or pan formed by the tray, are passed continuously through first a proofing stage and then a baking oven.
A method and means for preparing dough pieces on a continuous basis utilizing a step of intermediate proofing is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,198,142. In this method, the mixed dough, in a mass, is conveyed in a relatively slow continuous manner until the mass of dough reaches a stage of proper development where the dough mass is then divided into dough pieces. The method provides for returning and re-fermentating some of the mixed dough for remixing with the dough proceeding from the mixer.